


I Know

by orphan_account



Category: Masquerada: Songs and Shadows (Video Game)
Genre: Confessions, M/M, Post-Game, Set Ups, candle light date night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-05 21:57:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10317857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In which Cicero is shy and needs a little kick from his friends





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've just started writing recklessly with no real direction so forgive me! un-beta'd.

Eyes tired and back aching, Cicero shifted over again waiting for sleep to come. It was a familiar position to him for as long as he could remember, with no help from recent events. After losing so many people, after his final confrontation with Lucia, after dying and miraculously returning, sleep had become harder to reach than ever before.

The clock struck two, and Cicero’s bare feet met the cool tile floor. He found himself looking out from his window towards the docks. The private apartment he had acquired was humble, save for the sweeping views of Ombre (which, Cicero thought, hardly looked its best after most of it had been recently on fire).

Cicero knew why his eyes settled in that direction, and he no longer cared to question it. Or was he too tired? It didn’t matter. He was thinking about Kalden again, as he almost always did during his bouts of restlessness.

Moving from the window to his desk, Cicero lit a lamp and made himself comfortable. He reached for his journal, opened to the last few pages and skimmed the most recent entries. His eyes fell to where he had recorded Kalden’s vows. He hadn’t had a moment of respite to consider that Kalden may share his feelings until recently as the Citte began its slow recovery; now, with the idle time Cicero had, he found himself thinking back and analyzing his moments with the mariner. In hindsight, he can’t imagine how he missed it – their flirtatious banter, the constant close proximity, even the way they said each others' names.

He contemplated his journal for what seemed like just a short while, but daylight began to fade in as the lamplight faded out. Cicero slowly shuffled from his desk to his bed, feeling that now it had become inappropriate to sleep more, he might just be able to rest.

Sleep still didn’t come easy, nor did it last – Cicero was startled awake to the sound of rhythmic knocking on his door not an hour later. After shouting a pathetic, “Just a moment,” Cicero threw on a shirt, slipped into a pair of trousers and made his way for the door.

Vasco greeted him brightly once Cicero managed to unlock and open the door.

“Good morning Cicero! You certainly look… well, you’ve looked better, I’d say. Here,” he chimed as he pushed a small basket into Cicero’s hands. “I’ve brought us some breakfast.”

Cicero let Vasco sweep in and start arranging the table for a meal, knowing he couldn’t possibly have the energy to slow Vasco down in any capacity, especially with his lack of sleep.

“What’s the occasion?” Cicero inquired, still standing in front of the door he had just shut.

“Do I need an occasion to treat a good friend to a decent meal? By the look of it, you could certainly use one. Or several.” Vasco teased, now taking the basket from Cicero’s hands to set the table.

“It’s barely past sunrise; if you’d like to treat me, I wouldn’t say no to some rest.”

“You can sleep when you’re dead! Oh – wait, too soon?” Vasco grinned from ear to ear as Cicero let out a sharp breath and rolled his eyes.

“I’m not going to be sly with you this time. I know for a fact – because your birthday came just before mine – that you deserve a little bit of pampering right around now.” Vasco explained as he gestured to Cicero to sit.

Cicero groaned. Of _course_ Vasco knew it was his birthday, Vasco knew everything. Well, almost everything.

“All right, you’ve got me. I’ll accept this and nothing else. No gifts, no lavish parties, no-“

“No lavish parties? Ah, consider the day ruined!” Vasco feigned shock with a small smile he wasn’t quite able to hide.

He continued, “No, Cicero, you’ll be relieved to hear all you’re getting is a couple of nice, quiet meals with fantastic company.”

“A… couple?” The look of confusion on Cicero’s face was mild, masked slightly by his drowsiness.

Vasco hummed and placed a humble plate of fruit and bread in front of Cicero. “As much as I’d like to monopolize your time, I don’t think that’d be fair to the rest of our friends, don’t you think? Besides, I have it on good authority someone other than myself has been missing you terribly.”

“Your point, Vasco?”

“You’ve been cooped up in this dingy old place for, tell me, a month now? Why, we’ve hardly seen you out at all. I miss you, the girls miss you, _Kalden_ misses you.”

Cicero’s heart skipped a beat at the emphasis on Kalden’s name. He wondered if Vasco suspected anything – no, he wondered how long Vasco had known. Of _course_ Vasco would be able to see how Cicero felt for Kalden, and as he considered it more, he wondered how anyone might not know. After some thought, he certainly didn’t consider himself stupid, but held his companions’ intellect and observational skills in higher regard than his own. Ages, they must all know.

 Kalden… Kalden must know.

“What… are you suggesting, exactly?” At least Cicero could play dumb, if nothing else.

Resting his hand on his chin, Vasco let out a small sigh. “I’ve enlisted the girls’ help with the Sailheart tonight for you and Kalden to… shall we say, catch up? The poor man has been run ragged with his usual duties on top of volunteering additional time to help the restoration of the Citte. He could use a break, and you deserve a night out of this miasma you’ve lost yourself in.”

Cicero took the opportunity to ungracefully shove a piece of bread into his mouth for lack of something to say. Guilt hovered over him as he thought about Kalden overworking himself while Cicero had done nothing but wallow over the past few weeks. Without him.

“Oh, come now, don’t pout. You’ve stayed in long enough.” Vasco chided. Cicero nodded and turned his head to the window.

“And you’re not alone, you know. I’m here – we’re all here for you. No matter what.” He continued. Cicero knew what he meant, and he could feel his chest ache slightly. He hadn’t any reason to doubt that fact, and yet he continued to keep himself bottled up. It was unfair to his friends… his new family.

“Thank you, Vasco. Sincerely.” Cicero turned his gaze back to his old friend, finding nothing but understanding and acceptance in his eyes.

“Pish. Eat your breakfast before we both become old men, before anything you and I have some shopping to do.” He said while eyeing Cicero’s pathetically thrown together look, doing what he could to keep the mood light. Cicero let his thoughts settle long enough to enjoy the meal and his friend’s company.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Midday found Cicero and Vasco traveling by foot a greater distance than Cicero had anticipated. He was thankful for the brisk weather keeping him cool on the long walk – any other warm day would’ve had him uncomfortable in his own skin.

“Vasco, I may have been mistaken, but I believe you said we were going shopping, not trekking the expanse of the Citte.” Cicero complained lightly, trying not to sound too whiny.

“We haven’t gone that far, and you’re not yet old enough to complain of such things. Cheer up, we’re nearly there now.” Vasco dismissed Cicero’s concern with a wave of his hand and gestured to the next intersection. He led them to a small shopfront and swung the door open for Cicero. It was surprisingly well lit, revealing walls lined with reams of dark fabrics.

“Madame Renata!” Vasco warmly greeted a woman organizing papers behind a desk. “I’d like to introduce you to my good friend Cicero Gavar.”

The woman glanced up from her papers and looked both men up and down. A middle-aged woman wearing the colors of the Labores, she showed a stern face to the potential patrons that had just sauntered into the shop.

“I had not expected the Hero of Ombre to come to me wearing clothing that must be as old as the Citte itself. Dear boy, have you no thought for your image?” She said, unsmiling, as she approached Cicero with a tape measure. “No, of course you haven’t, because you haven’t seen me yet.”

“Ah… I… make do with what I have, Madame… Renata, was it?” Cicero stumbled through his words, taken aback by the woman’s blunt comments. He suddenly felt much younger than he actually was.

“A-as you can see, he and I are quite similar in size. My last commission would suit him, don’t you think?” Vasco chimed in quickly.

Without hesitating, Renata measured up Cicero so quickly, he could barely react. A moment later the woman hummed and looked back at Vasco, fiddling with her tape measure.

“Some small alterations will need to be made, otherwise you’re not entirely wrong.” She circled back around to her desk, pulled a large box from underneath, and beckoned Cicero to come closer. “Change into this and we can begin.”

Cicero endured what felt like hours of poking and prodding as Renata made alterations to the clothes he had changed into while Vasco played his flute idly in the corner. Once Renata declared she finished, Cicero stood in front of a mirror to inspect her handiwork.

He had to admit he’d never had anything fit him quite so well. Even his Inspettore uniform, although also tailored, did little for him by comparison. A simple black jerkin covered a dark, nearly skin-tight doublet that buttoned all the way up to a high collar. The sleeve caps were short and stiff, giving Cicero a sleek, even look. Below his belt were laced up leather pants _almost_ embarrassingly tight for the current fashion – as far as he was aware – but it wouldn’t have looked right with the breeches he was used to wearing, he decided. With black riding boots to finish it off, Cicero thought he might pass as an assassin for the Labores.

Draping a black mantle over Cicero’s shoulders, Renata declared her work finished, returned to sitting at her desk and began to mull over paperwork. Cicero thanked her for her work and turned to Vasco. “This was… supposed to be for you?”

“Originally, yes, but I thought it might look better on you if I’m honest.” He replied as he made his way to the desk to arrange payment for Renata’s services. Silently, she completed the transaction and continued her paperwork.

Cicero glanced back at his reflection before heading for the door. He liked how he looked, Vasco’s style was nothing to scoff at. Feeling a bit lighter despite the layers of dark, finely woven cloth, he followed Vasco out to the street.

 To his surprise, he found a familiar site: Ricardo Tvothe, waiting with the coach just outside the shop.

“Good to see you, sir!” Ricardo called out, making strides to greet Cicero and Vasco properly. Vasco gave a little wave, and Cicero stepped forward to bring Ricardo in for hug.

“It has been too long,” Cicero gave his friend’s shoulders a quick squeeze and let him go. “How’ve you been? And… where is your sister?”

“Alena is back at the Sailheart, she stayed behind to help Vint out with… something. Not sure what, but you should get to see her when we head back that way. That is, unless, we’re going someplace else first?” He looked inquisitively at Vasco, who shook his head and moved to get into the coach. Cicero followed.

They spent the ride to the Sailheart in relative silence, unlike their usual coach rides. Cicero let himself relax in the cool air and let his thoughts wander between the sights they passed and Kalden. Kalden was so frequently in the back of his mind. Hell, Kalden was all over Cicero’s mind since coming to the realization that he wanted something _more_ with mariner. Songs be damned, he didn’t have a legacy to worry about; nobody did anymore since the singing tree was lost. He could have this – if Kalden would have him.

The obstacle Cicero couldn’t quite clear was that ‘If’. He could think of a million reasons he’d be undesirable, why Kalden might not see him in that particular light. But with all the doubt his mind threw at him, his heart was eased with the memories of his and Kalden’s interactions. There was hope there for him yet, he thought.

He imagined how the evening might play out. Through Cicero wasn’t sure on exactly what Vasco had planned for him, at least he knew two things: he looked good for once, and Kalden would be seeing him. He could feel his face become hot at the thought of wanting to look good for Kalden – Ages, he felt like a giddy teenager again. He welcomed it, having had enough of the weight of the past making him feel too old.

 Street lamps were being lit just as the Sailheart came into view. Cicero straightened up, suddenly very aware of his surroundings. Nervous but hopeful, he hopped out of the coach when it came to a stop and headed towards the door. Vasco jogged ahead of him and gestured for Cicero to stop.

“Hold on, let me go ahead.” He said without explanation. Cicero watched Vasco disappear into the building, secretly welcoming the chance to have a moment alone. As time went on, he found his nerves flaring and his heart beating faster. He needed a moment to collect himself before he saw Kalden.

A few minutes passed, and the door to the Sailheart creaked open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to say I don't know how long it will take for the next chapter to be finished, if it will at all. I've gotten some very harsh feedback(not on ao3) and I've quite lost the will to continue writing this. I feel obligated to apologize for my mediocre writing to be mucking up this very small fandom - the game deserves better fanworks than I can provide. I'm sorry.
> 
> EDIT: 4/5 - I've been strongly discouraged from continuing writing and will not be completing this.


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